French Noir with a twist

French Noir with a twist

Here’s a series I want to shout about. I have spent hours in Paris’ underworld yet again and it was an utter delight.

The series is called The Bureau of Occult Affairs

And the main character is Inspector Valentin Verne, the brilliant creator of the Bureau of Occult Affairs –  A place where science flirts with vice and crime.

Already half a million readers according to the book above and honestly, I’m not surprised.

I was hurled into spring 1832 right in the middle of a cholera epidemic in Paris. It’s called the blue fear and it causes hundreds if not thousands of deaths. There’s rumours that all the deaths might not be naturally due to cholera and that there is something else at play. Some victims have had an organ taken out or body part amputated. Gruesome stuff. Oh and stabbed too.

The part of Paris where all this plays out is known as Saint- Merri. Nothing merry about the poverty and the deprivation that is found there.

The inspector investigates in the darkest and most dangerous corners of Paris. Wow I got to see a whole new view of the city! What was brilliant was the characterisation – especially that of Entourloupe and Tafik. Two crooks with a dodgy past who come to add a whole new level of intrigue to the proceedings.

Oh I can see this on the television. Great stuff. Very atmospheric, grim and shady and characters that just leap from the page. (Happily not really as can you imagine coming face to face with this lot! haha)

Susan x